How Shared Lives can help

Shared Lives carers are self-employed and are paid to provide the support required within the support plan in a non-directed way and in partnership with the person receiving the support.

Islington Shared Lives is a service for all eligible residents following an assessment by our social work teams. Find out what it will cost.

There are several types of services provided by approved Shared Lives carers. 

Long-term arrangements

An individual with an eligible support need will move into a Shared Lives carer's home and live with them as part of their family. The Shared Lives carer will provide all day-to-day support that the individual requires. Long-term arrangements can be an alternative to traditional residential or supported living services for people who need support to live the lives they choose.

Respite (short break) arrangements

An individual with an eligible support need, who lives in another supported environment (usually with their own family), will stay with a Shared Lives carer for an agreed period and on a regular or periodic basis. During the stay the Shared Lives carer will provide all day-to-day support that the individual requires, and the individual will stay as part of the carer's family. Respite arrangements can be an alternative to traditional building-based respite services and can be provided through a person's support plan to meet an identified need or as a carer’s break through a carer assessment.

Day support arrangements

An individual with an eligible need will be supported by a Shared Lives carer for a short period of time during the day (not overnight). This can be a break for the main carer or to support the user to undertake an agreed activity or outcome-based task. During the stay the carer will provide all the support that the individual requires as part of the family home and their family network. Day support arrangements can be provided flexibly across seven days a week.

Our carers 

Find out how to become a Shared Lives carer.

Shared Lives carers are ordinary people from the local community who choose to become Shared Lives carers. They are fully assessed and vetted before being able to provide a service and are regularly monitored and reviewed by the Islington Shared Lives scheme. 

Shared Lives carers are carefully matched with people accessing Shared Lives. Our carers are local people with shared interests, or simply someone that a resident accessing Shared Lives gets on well with.

Our Shared Lives carers can support Islington residents to develop their independence and achieve goals such as:

• going to college
• developing travel skills and going on holidays
• accessing the community
• living independently.

Read a little about some of our Shared Lives carers.